Notes from NBA TV’s Fan Night – Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Toronto Raptors (107) @ Los Angeles Lakers (109)
Fan Night voting will continue on NBA.com from Tuesday, March 9 (8 a.m. ET) – Thursday, March 11 (Midnight ET) as fans select the match-up for Tuesday, March 16. Games include:
Charlotte Bobcats @ Indiana Pacers
San Antonio Spurs @ Miami Heat
Chicago Bulls @ Memphis Grizzles
Washington Wizards @ Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Phoenix Suns
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AutoTrader.com Pre-Game Show
Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber
McHale on Toronto Raptors guards Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon: “Those are two very good point guards. There are very few teams that have that quality of point guards. There are very few teams that push the pace. Toronto is not a team that plays great defense so they need both of those guys to play very well.”
Webber on the Raptors offense: “(Derek) Fisher and those guys are going to have problems controlling the quickness of (Jose) Calderon and (Jarrett) Jack. Calderon can shoot it from the outside and Jack will attack you from the inside so they really have a two-headed monster in their backcourt in Toronto.”
Webber on his conversation with Magic forward Matt Barnes on playing defense against Lakers guard Kobe Bryant: “I actually talked to him (Barnes) about playing Kobe. He said that basically he’s on a one year contract and all he does is play hard. He said that his job is to play defense and help his team win. Matt feels that he brings an edge of toughness to this team even though Kobe is not flinching. A lot of players get scared to get into a tangle with the other team’s best players so kudos to Matt and his team for doing that.”
McHale on players like Magic forward Matt Barnes stepping up defensively against Kobe Bryant: “I love seeing a guy with the grapes to walk up to a guy and say ‘bring your best game.’ I like when people say they are going to stop Kobe. No one is going to stop Kobe. But do you make him take a lot of shots? I like the fact that Matt Barnes didn’t back up one inch and that he stood nose to nose with him. Kobe is not backing up either because he is a competitor. I like that; I think that is great for the league. I wish there was more of that.”
McHale on Lakers centers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum: “Those two guys are so long and have great skill level but sometimes they just disappear. Last week Pau had a good game statistically-wise against the Magic but he just needs to put his stamp on each game. There are nights when I look at him and say he is just not into the game and that he is not putting his stamp on the game. He should be able to dominate and there are nights he doesn’t.”
McHale on the Clippers severing ties with general manager Mike Dunleavy: “It is an odd time to do it right now; you would think they would allow him to go through the draft. He’s already out seeing college guys; he has a month or two of scouting under his belt. It is a very curious time to do this.”
Webber on the Dallas Mavericks posing a threat in the playoffs to the Lakers: “I think they are a big threat. Anything can happen in a seven game series and Dallas is a tough place to play. Dirk Nowitzki, year after year, has proven that he is one of the best players in the league. Yes, they (the Lakers) have to be worried. If these issues with the Lakers continue, the Mavericks will continue to feel momentum.”
McHale: “For the first time, L.A. is looking in their rearview mirror saying ‘we are only three games ahead of Dallas’ and Dallas is saying, ‘hey we might be able to catch these guys’; that thinking is really going to help Dallas.”
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T-Mobile Halftime Report:
Johnson, McHale and Webber
Webber on why the Lakers are playing poorly right now: “I see the major problem…When you don’t play together, you don’t get guys involved. This team right now is not playing together or cohesive and that is when the doubt seeps in.”
McHale on Lakers forward Ron Artest: “He just looks really uncertain when he is playing.”
Webber on Lakers forward Ron Artest: “I thought he was going to come there and be another dominating player.”
Webber on the Lakers adulation for Kobe Bryant: “I really feel like these guys are looking up to Kobe. They need to play with him like he’s their teammate.”
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NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai
Johnson, McHale and Webber
Webber on his new name for Lakers guard Kobe Bryant: “Kobe Sedgwick is ‘The Closer,’ he needs to have his own series on TNT. This guy is amazing and he’s shown that many times he can take that shot and miss it too, you’re not going to make it every time. But after he missed that one against Orlando you knew he was going to come in and (get it).”
Webber on what reaction Lakers guard Kobe Bryant may have had to hitting the game winning shot: “I guarantee Kobe went into the locker room and he’s not slapping fives with the guys. He doesn’t care about this game, he’s won championships before and he’s saying, ‘I can make these game winning shots, but if we play as well as we can play in a full game I won’t have to make the game winning shot every time.’”
McHale: “I’m sure (Bryant’s) saying we gave up 107 points to Toronto after coming off a game where we needed a lot of urgency to come out and compete hard from the start. Kobe understands that pretty don’t win. Pretty looks pretty, but pretty don’t win championships.”
Lakers center Andrew Bynum joined NBA TV via ArenaLink after the Lakers defeated the Raptors.
Bynum on why the Lakers’ play has been lackadaisical: “Right now I think what it is is people are looking forward to the playoffs, but that really doesn’t work. You start needing to send the message right now that when people see us in the playoffs they are a little discouraged. Right now when everyone plays us they are confident and want to knock off the champions. We need to start changing that now.”
Webber on why the Miami Heat will miss the playoffs: “I’m going to go out on a limb and I’m going to say Miami is not making the playoffs. Even with Chicago missing Joakim Noah, I still think the way Brad Miller has stepped up and the way the defense has stepped up for them, I think they have a better chance. I just don’t see anymore potential out of Miami. Dwyane Wade has to do everything every night. He’s a great player but he has to do everything almost as much as LeBron James has to do everything. I’m not sold on them because I don’t see them with any momentum to run into the playoffs.”
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